Here is the link to my new interview/article, published in the News Times last weekend. I'd love to read your comments.
newstimes.com/local/article/New-Fairf...

posted by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne on September, 24

I"m excited and honored to announce that my award-winning children's book, Tails of Sweetbrier, is a finalist for The Ciipp Awards!
Congratulations to the winners and thank you to the judges, who chose my book for this recognition.
If you'd like to find out more about this book, please visit: www.childrensbookswithlifelessons.com. To find out more about the contest, please check out:
http://www.clippaward.com/finalists/

posted by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne on August, 18

Deanie Humphrys-Dunne's children's book, Tails of Sweetbrier, has won the Silver Medal in the Juvenile/Young Adult category of the Feathered Quill book Awards. You can read the internet news release here:

http://www.freepublicitygroup.com/rel...

posted by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne on February, 25

Deanie's interview on www.thechildrensauthorshow.com is being broadcast Feb. 19-20, 2014! You can listen any time during those dates. You'll learn about Deanie's award-winning book, Tails of Sweetbrier. If you miss the broadcast, you can still listen by clicking the title of my book when you see it on the screen. Thanks for listening.

posted by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne on February, 23

I'm honored to announce that my chidren's autobiography, Tails of Sweetbrier, has won the Silver Medal in The Feathered Quill Writer's Contest! If you'd like to find out more about my book, please visit:www.childrensbookswithlifelessons.com

posted by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne on February, 17

You're invited to visit my new website: www.childrensbookswithlifelessons.com. You'll find interesting things there about my books and inspiring young people! I'd love to read your comments. Thank you in advance for stopping by.

posted by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne on February, 27

There are millions of children’s books available today, so why did I decide to add four more of them to the collection? The answer is simple. I want to encourage children to reach for the stars! I want them to know that anything is possible if you refuse to abandon your dreams, even against sizable odds. You’re probably wondering what I know about perseverance and why I regard it as the key to success.

Every child has dreams and mine was to become a champion horseback rider, even though I was born with cerebral palsy, affecting walking. Doctors declared I would never walk, but my dad refused to accept that as truth. He told me to disregard the doctor’s opinion. I did that and together we began our journey. At first, I did nothing but fall off my pony and get back on. My legs would get tired and I’d slide off for no reason. In our family, giving up was not an option, so there was no question that I would try until I could savor the victories, no matter how small. It took years of practice before I passed the milestones that most kids reached in a few months. Finally, I could walk, trot and canter (slow gallop) my pony without toppling off! Now I had to convince my dad to teach me to jump. He wasn’t a big fan of that at first, because he knew I’d fall off many times. But I reminded him that he taught a blind man to jump, so eventually, my dad relented and I did learn to jump, and win in competitions.

I believe that we are capable of changing many circumstances, even the most challenging ones. When we give up on our dreams,we are assured we will not realize them.

Here is an excerpt from the opening paragraph of my children’s book, Tails of Sweetbrier:

“Have you ever really wanted to be able to do something but you came across a roadblock of some kind? Maybe you’re afraid of new things, or maybe you have a physical challenge of some kind. Are you going to follow your dream, or are you going to push it aside without even trying? You have to make a difficult choice. I made that choice once and it changed my whole life.”

The next time you are facing a challenge, remember that perseverance is the key to success, whether your dream is to publish a children’s book, or anything else. You can accomplish much more than you ever imagined.



Feel free to share . . . Facebook

posted by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne on February, 16

Please check out Deanie's interview on thechildrensauthorshow.com. The initial airing was Nov. 4-5, but you can still listen by visiting www.theauthorshow.com and clicking on the Title, Tails of Sweetbrier. You may also listen to the podcast here:
http://theauthorsshow.podomatic.com/e...
Thank you for listening. I'd love to know your thoughts on it!

posted by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne on February, 20

5.0 out of 5 stars October 16, 2013
By Paul Day (East Moonta, Australia) -
This review is from: Tails of Sweetbrier (Kindle Edition)
My wife loves horses. She has always dreamed of owning one from an early age. When we did finally get one, she was bucked off and hurt and has never found the courage to get back on. I'm hoping this story will change her mind. What an incredibly inspiring tale of overcoming. To be born against such tremendous odds and to come out the other end triumphant is a lesson that everyone can learn from this incredible life story. From the opening chapter, this book was destined to be eventful. The recounts in the life of the author are written in a way which immediately conjures images of country life on a ranch which has personality and history, where the family is the center of everything and the love of horses is what drives passion. This is a touching, at times emotional read, with a touch of humor and elegance about it. Anyone who loves horses will fall in love with this book. For those who have never had the pleasure of owning a horse, there is still a great deal to be learned from this engaging and sensitively told story. The illustrations, beautifully done by the author's sister, Holly, evoke images of a family drawn together by a common passion and love for country life. Is it any wonder Sweetbrier is still considered one of the top riding schools in the US.

posted by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne on February, 20

August 19th, 2013

08/19/2013

1 Comment

Picture


TITLE: Tails Of Sweetbrier

AUTHOR: Deanie Humphrys-Dunne

Publisher: Avid Readers Group

Formats: Kindle, paperback

FILE SIZE: 415 KB

ASIN: B00DRPCA9E



In this inspiring memoir, the author takes us back through her life and her dream of being a championship rider, winning a lot of blue ribbons. She did do all this and more although it wasn’t an easy journey. Ms. Dunne was born with Cerebal Palsey and the doctors told her parents that she’d never be able to walk. Deanie proved them all wrong. It took longer than it does for most children but at age four she started walking.

From an early age, it was instilled into her and her siblings that you never give up, no matter what. So with her father at the helm of helping her see her dream come true, she started to learn to ride a horse. She kept getting back up on Little Man after countless falls. With her father’s encouragement, she finally strengthened her legs enough to stay on. On Little Man, Deanie learned the proper way to sit on a horse as well as how to move with him.
This book is written as if the author is speaking directly to the reader. Throughout, she explains different terms like crow hopping, cantering, trotting and more. After she mastered these things, the author wondered if she could manage jumping in shows like her siblings. Her father gave her that chance and had her try to ride, Chiefie, a jumper. After falling off another horse, Chiefie, several times she managed jumping!
By this time, Ms. Dunne was able to enter shows. That meant finding a special horse. One day her father came home with that special horse and her name was Fleet Nancy. Deanie just called her Peach. Peach and Deanie were the perfect team. They entered quite a few horse shows and won blue ribbons for winning several!
I think this inspiring book should be read by every parent, tween, and teen. It brings out that no matter how different the animal or human is, if they want to try to do something they can. The book also brings out that we all have different talents and gifts.

If you would like to learn more about Deanie Humphrys-Dunne or about her book, you can at several different places. You can visit her blog at http://.dhdunne.blogspot.com, her Facebook author’s page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Childr..., or her Amazon author’s page https://www.amazon.com/Deanie-Humphry....

If you prefer to purchase your own copy of Tails Of Sweetbrier, it’s available in both in paperback or Kindle formats. You can purchase the Kindle format here. If you prefer the paperback format, you can order it here. If you prefer, you can also get this inspiring book at here.

posted by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne on September, 02

The inspiring, true story, Tails of Sweetbrier, is now in paperback!
Here is the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Tails-Sweetbrie...

posted by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne on August, 19

Deanie Humphrys-Dunne's award-winning autobiography is now on Kindle!
Follow this link:http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_s...

posted by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne on August, 22

Hi everyone, please check out the new interview I had with Alayna Renee!http://www.jadedelegance.net/2013/06/...

posted by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne on August, 27

This week I had the pleasure of interviewing children's author, Deb Hockenberry about her adorable tale, Beepy's Christmas Wish Free copies are available from Deb. You may contact her at: www.debhockenberry.com. You may read our entire interview on www.dhdunne.blogspot.com.

posted by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne on August, 29

You're invited to stop by my blog at: www.dhdunne.blogspot.com to check out the new interview with inspiring children's author Anna Tshekeche. She's just written a wonderful children's picture book called Tsuro( Rabbit) to the Rescue.

posted by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne on August, 18

Please stop by my website and check out the new interview with award-winning children's author, Carla Burke.http://dhdunne.blogspot.com/201...

posted by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne on August, 30

Talented Authors Beverly Fox and S. K. Anthony, nominated Deanie Humphrys-Dunne for more awards! She has been nominated for a second Liebster Award and a Very Inspiring Blogger Award. Deanie is thrilled to be chosen for these honors and appreciates it greatly.

posted by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne on August, 29

Today I received another stunning surprise. Author Melissa Janda nominated me for the Best Moment Award the Super Sweet Award, the Dragon's Loyal Award, and the Shine on Award! Thank you, Melissa!
Its a great honor for me to receive them and much appreciated. Please go to: www.dhdunne.blogspot.com to find out m

posted by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne on September, 01

Please stop by this link to visit my beautiful Author of the Year Spotlight by Geri Ahearn.http://featuredauthoroftheyear...

posted by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne on August, 23

Imagine that you’ve written a story that makes you proud. It has conflict, good, humorous, dialogue and an exciting plot. What if someone steals your idea? The only way that you can be positive that no one has stolen your idea is not to publish your work. There are probably hundreds of stories with some similarities to yours. But remember that once you publish your story, there are copyright laws to protect it. But there are no such laws to guard your ideas. You would need to publish your story so that the laws will protect it. Let’s explore the copyright laws so you understand more about them.
Is your work protected when you discuss it with your friends? No, when you talk about your ideas, or your story, it doesn’t have copyright protection. But once your work is in print, it belongs exclusively to you and no one else can publish it without your permission. In the United States, and most western countries, the same rule would apply. Should you register it yourself? You may do so by visiting this website: http://www.copyright.gov/ If someone publishes your work illegally, you can take them to court. If you are preparing to take legal action against someone, you should be sure to register your work before you proceed with the lawsuit. If you decide to publish your own work, you must register it yourself.
What happens if you publish with a small publisher? Even small publishers will usually register your work for you before it’s published. It is generally part of the publishing fee. If you’re not sure about this, be certain to ask what services are included in the fee. It’s most important that you check your contract so that you are familiar with what is covered. Usually, the publisher registers your book in your name so that you have the rights to it.
What are the rules if you publish an article in a magazine? If a magazine is publishing an article for you, they would have registered the entire magazine so it would be protected by copyright laws. The exception would be that you would need to register your own article, if you were preparing to go to court.
Do you need to worry about publishers stealing your work? It would be very rare for a reputable publisher to steal your work. The one exception would be if you were dealing with a shady company that wants “samples” of your writing and they hire you to provide those pieces every week. You may find one of your short writing samples were published without permission. This is one legitimate reason to avoid these types of establishments. In some cases, the publisher may be so inexperienced that he/she doesn’t realize that you must register an article or story before it’s printed. It’s even possible that a new publisher could pay your for your work, without letting you know that it was published until after it was released to the public. You could receive a letter stating that your article or story has been published. In this case, they’re not intentionally stealing your work, but you may have also submitted it to another company, so this can be quite an embarrassing situation for you. This is an unpleasant surprise, to be sure so the best way to avoid it is to work with established publishers who are well informed about copyright laws.
What about online publications? In this instance, it’s possible that someone will see something in on online publication or on Facebook without realizing that copyright laws apply. They could see your work, like it and copy it to their website or their Facebook page. Generally, if you email them and tell them they used your work without permission, they will delete it quickly.
What is pirating? This happens when someone actually does steal your work, usually seen online. Someone can scan it and place it on their own website. But it only happens with very well known books and the person responsible wants to display your work without paying for it.
If you remember some of these tips, you could save yourself quite a bit of stress. Always submit your very best work to a publisher and don’t discuss it until it’s been forwarded to a reliable publisher.
Some important things to remember:
It’s most important to remember that writers often have similar ideas, but it’s the way the ideas are presented that matter. Also, keep in mind that there are no copyright laws for ideas, only actual printed work.
The safest way to prevent any stealing of your work is to deal with a reputable publisher who knows copyright laws well.
Once your work is in print, it’s uniquely your own creation and protected by
the laws.

It’s best to keep your plans to yourself until your work is safely in the hands of a good publisher who knows copyright laws well.

posted by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne on January, 21

Deanie's essay, "Looking for the Secret to Success? Never Give Up" is included in the new book, "The I Word." It's a collection of inspiring essays, written by authors.
Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/The-I-Word-eboo...

posted by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne on January, 19

Let’s imagine that you’ve been working diligently on your new children’s story, but something is lacking. Could it be that your characters are too perfect? If so, your readers will not be engaged in reading it and will quickly lose interest. Your readers won’t really care about what happens in your story unless they can connect with the characters you’re creating. We’ll talk about some ways to make sure your characters are memorable.
Make your readers feel the emotions of your characters:You may have had a writing instructor or an author friend remind you that you must help your readers to relate to whatever is happening to the characters in your story. How can you do that? One way you can accomplish this is not to use tired clichés in your writing. Instead, use original ideas. If you have children about the same age as your characters, take note of the language they use. What kinds of activities interest them?
Do your characters follow their personality? Let’s say that Kylie loves music. She practices piano religiously so she can perform well at her recital. But, she’s terribly frightened of heights. With this in mind, it wouldn’t be a good plan to have her suddenly decide she wants to excel in diving.
Does your dialogue fit?It’s most important that your characters don’t speak like adults. They don’t often use perfect grammar. If you’re not sure about this, spend some time with children and pay particular attention to the words they use. Be sure to keep your dialogue lively and insure that it advances your plot in some way.
Get to know your characters In order to write a story that will engage young readers, you must know you’re characters well. How can you do that? Besides spending time with children, you can role play. Pretend you are one of your characters. Listen to the music they enjoy. Treat your story “people” as if they were part of your family. Observe the activities they love. Being involved can really make a huge difference in how well readers will connect with your story.
In summary, here are some hints to remember when writing for children:
1. Be sure that your readers feel the emotions of your characters.
2. Get to know your characters, as if they were part of your family.
3. Make sure that the actions of your characters match their personalities.
4. Use dialogue that matches the way today’s children speak.
I hope that these suggestions set you on the road to writing the perfect children’s story.

posted by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne on January, 07

Carla Burke is the author of two books: "I Spy a Dragon Fly" and "My Name may be Peanuts but I Say Nay to PB& J." Her book,"I Spy A Dragon Fly" was chosen to receive the 2011 Christian Literacy Award.It was well deserved recognition for the years she spent writing and promoting it.
"I Spy A Dragon Fly" is an endearing title for a children’s book. How did she come up with the idea for my book? In 2007 there was great deal of rain in San Antonio. One day she noticed swarms of colorful dragonflies darting about all over her property.She showed the dragonflies to her son, who was four years old at the time, hoping one would land on him. To their amazement, a small blue dragon fly settled on her son’s arm. He was so delighted that she wanted to write down their wondrous experience as a keepsake.In the end, her story became an enchanting children’s book instead.
Carla’s second book, "My Name may be Peanuts, but I say Nay to PB&J",concerns a very serious subject-food allergies. She wanted to educate children and parents about the dangers of food allergies. She hopes that her book will foster an understanding and prevent bullying of children who suffer from food allergies.
Does Carla have a work in progress? Yes, her new book will be released soon. It concerns therapeutic riding and the benefits to children with disabilities. Riding can be a life changing experience to children, not only physically, but emotionally as well. It helps them build self esteem.
Are you wondering what Carla enjoy s in her spare time? She loves volunteering at Saddle Light Therapeutic Riding Center. She enjoys seeing the tremendous changes that riding makes to the students there and satisfies her passion for horses as well. She’s a busy mom to her children, Sean and Amanda, and a devoted wife to her husband, Phil. If you’d like to purchase her books, please visit: http://www.carlasburke.com or http://www.amazon.com/author/carlaburke

posted by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne on January, 14

Suppose you are a disabled child or adult living in the area of San Antonio, Texas. Perhaps you love horses, but you thought it was impossible to even get to know these wonderful, patient, animals because of your handicap. Don’t dismay! Visit the Saddle Light Center of Therapeutic Horsemanship and there’s a good chance your life will change for the better. The instructors at Saddle Light are specially trained so they can help children and adults with all kinds of disabilities including, cerebral palsy, autism, learning disabilities and neurological disorders, just to mention a few. You can rest assured that you or you family member will be well well cared for during your time at Saddle Light. It is member of The Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (known as PATH.) Additionally, Saddle Light Center is registered with the Physical and Occupational Board of Examiners.
The Saddle Light Center for Therapeutic Horsemanship was founded in 1991, as a 501C3 charity organization. The mission of the Center is to inspire their students to reach goals beyond what was expected. It is well documented that riding helps, muscle strength, self esteem, and balance in handicapped people. Children with autism, who have never spoken, find it easier to relate and speak to the horses. Amazing things can happen through riding. Children who were never expected to walk can surprise everyone when they walk and become accomplished riders through the efforts of the staff and horses at the Saddle Light Center. If you’ve been considering a riding program for yourself or your child, I would encourage you to visit the Center. You might be amazed at what you can accomplish!

posted by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne on July, 13

If you’re a nine year old boy, what might you normally do? Play video games? Play with trucks? Play baseball, America’s favorite game? Not if you’re Cody Jackson. At the tender age of nine years old he’s already written two children’s books, and been featured on Fox News, Dr. Drew, and The Pentagon Channel, just to mention a few. Cody considers it his personal mission to greet soldiers returning from their military service. He’s welcomed thousands of them and made their homecoming an extraordinary event. Cody’s goal is to help other children understand that it’s okay to be patriotic and love your country as he does.
Cody’s parents have done an extraordinary job explaining to him that our soldiers, sailors and Marines and Airmen, work very hard to protect our great country from it’s enemies. He understands that without our military members, we wouldn’t be a free country- the greatest country on Earth.
Cody, I applaud you for all you’re doing for our troops. No doubt you’ve made a huge difference to every one of them. I’ll bet you’re their hero, Congratulations! You’re such a wonderful role model for your friends as well.
If you’d like to purchase Cody’s Activiity/Coloring Book, Pint Sized Patriot, please visit: http://1boyuso.com/ You may also preorder Cody’s new book: Pint Sized Patriot Standing Tall on that website. Please keep in mind that Cody donates a portion of the proceeds from his book to send care packages to our troops.

posted by Deanie Humphrys-Dunne on July, 10